“Impuhwe” is Rwandan for compassion, and also stands for “inspire and motivate powerful, undiscovered hopeful women with education.” This group has also been called Richard's Rwanda named after Richard Kananga, who came to Seattle as he sought support for more schools and education for his country's children who have suffered in the aftermath of the 1994 genocide and war that  plagued their nation.

This group was founded by Jessica Markowitz in 2006 when she was a 6th grader at Seattle Girls’ School. Other classmates got involved to work to raise funds to send Rwandan girls to school-- where as little as $40 can support one year of schooling.

News:

6/6/10: Markowitz featured on the front cover of the Parade Issue

4/7/10: Fundraising event with Rwandan Genocide Survivor, 6:30-8:30 in the Commons.

2/12/10: CNN reports on the Jessica Markowitz and the group:

11/5/10:  Garfield High freshman receives World of Children Founders Award :
On November 5, Jessica Markowitz, 14, a freshman at Garfield High
School, received the 2009 World of Children Founders
Award   http://www.worldofchildren.org/index.php/press/184-photos-of-2009-world-of-children-founders-award-winner-jessica-markowitz
at UNICEF in New York. The award honors people around the world who are
creating innovative programs for children in need. Markowitz runs a charity,
called IMPUWE http://allgirls.ncgs.org/tags/impuwe/, that sends 22 poor
girls in Rwanda to school. She plans to use the $15,000 prize to help build
a library in Rwanda focused on girls. Read
more http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010113316_rwanda22.html

The group is also on facebook